


like caffeine

by orphan_account



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-12 15:44:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4485291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>luhan doesn’t like going to clubs. but he likes the coffee-loving music major that he meets at one of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	like caffeine

Luhan watches as sweaty people crowd together in the middle of the dance floor, dancing to strange techno music blaring through the speakers. He stares at them, wondering how their movements could be called dancing, when he would more likely classify it as grinding. A guy pulls a girl in by her ass, slowly rolling his hips against her.  
  
Yep, definitely grinding.  
  
“Having fun yet?” Luhan glances over, seeing Jongdae with a Cheshire cat-like grin on his face. He is spinning the glass in his hand so the liquid swirls around before he raises it to his lips. Luhan doesn’t know exactly what Jongdae is drinking, and he’s not sure if he wants to find out.  
  
He’s not even sure how he even got here tonight.  
  
Originally, Luhan was supposed to be working at the frozen yogurt shop from five until close. Around six o’clock, as Luhan was ringing up a couple of teenage girls’ orders, Jongdae walked in and headed straight towards Luhan. He stretched himself out over the counter, pushing the two girls out of the way as he batted his eyelashes at Luhan. “Come out with me tonight,” he whined, forming a duck pout with his lips.  
  
With a roll of his eyes, Luhan reached for a rag and walked around the counter to wipe down tabletops, completely ignoring the other. Jongdae frowned, striding over to Luhan. He leaned down to meet Luhan’s eyes with his hands clasped together. Luhan shifted his gaze over at Jongdae, scoffing at him. The brat was trying to make it look like he was pleading.  
  
“Come on Lulu,” he said with a quite obviously fake smile. Luhan narrowed his eyes, using his rag to smack Jongdae in the arm. Jongdae yelped, rubbing the spot with another pout. He mumbled an ‘ow’, following Luhan as he resumed his position behind the cash register.  
  
Jongdae settled his elbows on the countertop, “You really need to get out. Have some fun in a place that isn’t a hipster frozen yogurt place.”  
  
With a blank face, Luhan responded, “This is not a hipster frozen yogurt shop.”  
  
“Um, yeah it is. Just look at around. This place just screams hipster.” Jongdae clucked his tongue and sing-songed, “Hipster.”  
  
“I don’t have time for you.” Luhan proceeded to ring up customers with Jongdae lingering nearby. He could feel his friend’s eyes boring into the side of his face, but he shrugged it off. At that time, the manager walked in, to which Jongdae grinned. Seeing the devious look that settled on Jongdae’s face, Luhan inwardly groaned and knew he was in trouble.  
  
It was quite obvious that Luhan’s manager thought Jongdae was attractive. Every time Jongdae would come bouncing in, she would flush and watch him from afar. Jongdae knew this fact and occasionally used it to his advantage, flirting with her from time to time.  
  
As she made her way over, Jongdae turned, standing up to intercept her path. She halted right in front of him, blushing furiously as her eyes met his. Luhan rolled his eyes, continuing to punch numbers into the cash register.  
  
A minute later, Luhan felt a tug on his arm. He looked up to see Jongdae smirking at him. “Come on Lulu, let’s go clubbing!”  
  
His eyes widened, head snapping towards his manager. She smiled softly, adjusting the visor on her head. “It’s okay. Yixing is supposed to come in an hour away. I can handle it until then.”  
  
“But-“  
  
Jongdae reached towards his head, pulling the black visor off of his head. “No, we’re going.” He grinned at Luhan’s manager as he pushed Luhan out of the front door. “Now let’s find you some clothes because I refuse to be seen with you in a vest and a bow-tie.”  
  
Luhan shook his head. So that’s how he got here.  
  
“Do you want me to be honest?” Luhan asks, adjusting to a more comfortable position. As he lifted his leg, he winced as the stool squeaked obnoxiously. He was sweating profusely due to all the people cramped into the underground club.  
  
Jongdae raises one of his eyebrows. “Humor me.”  
  
“This fucking sucks.” Luhan hated clubs. He hated being in dark, crowded places, and especially someplace packed with people shamelessly grinding against each other. He preferred hanging out in small, quaint and quiet places. He liked places that had the exact opposite atmosphere of this club.  
  
He also hated Jongdae for making him wear his outfit.  
  
After being relieved from work, Jongdae dragged him all the way to his apartment, forcibly throwing clothes at him as soon as he stepped through the door. He was shoved into the bathroom to put on the clothes Jongdae had selected for him, and  _my god_  were Jongdae’s clothes tight.  
  
As he had barely managed to shimmy into the white jeans he was given, he silently questioned how the hell Jongdae could wear clothes like this on a regular basis. Didn’t he like to breathe? He held out the shimmering black tank top in front of him and sighed. After pulling it on, Luhan reluctantly shrugged himself into the leather jacket.  
  
He twisted the doorknob slowly, cracking it open only to be instantly met with Jongdae’s face. The younger man pushed the door open, fingers immediately flying to Luhan’s head to style his hair. For about ten minutes, Luhan’s scalp ached from the constant tugging on his hair and the heavy fumes that the styling products produced.  
  
Although Luhan hated wearing clothes like this, he had to admit Jongdae did a good job. Not that he would ever openly admit it.  
  
Jongdae rolls his eyes, “You just need to loosen up a bit. This is the whole point of bringing you out.”  
  
Luhan’s eyes flickers around, still not sure exactly where to look. The lights flashing nonstop are starting to give him a headache. He can see people trying to devour each other’s faces on the dance floor. Others are even bolder, pinning others to the wall, trying to pull at each other’s clothes. Luhan looks away; he’s beginning to feel a little uncomfortable.  
  
Suddenly an arm wraps around his neck. He tilts his head back, craning his neck upwards to see a mop of curly hair and a huge ass grin.  
  
“Luhan!” Chanyeol shouts, wrapping his arms around Luhan for a hug. Luhan tries to hug him back, but the awkward angle doesn’t allow him too. “I didn’t think you were coming tonight.” He exclaims, letting go of Luhan.  
  
“Neither did I.” Luhan enjoys being around Chanyeol, despite him acting like a hyper kid at times. This could make the night a little more bearable. He notices Kyungsoo a moment later with Jongin’s arm dangling around his shoulder. Kyungsoo’s eyes are wide, as always, as he animatedly speaks to Jongdae, throwing in weird hand gestures as Jongin blinks, nodding his head every once in a while.  
  
Yes, this night is becoming much more bearable.  
  
“Is Junmyeon coming tonight?” Jongdae asks, tilting his head all the way back to chug down the rest of his drink before motioning to the bartender for a refill.  
  
Jongin shakes his head instead of Kyungsoo, a faintly visible pout set on his lips. He moves his arm off the elder’s shoulder, instead choosing to wrap his arms around his waist. “Junmyeon wanted to study tonight.” Kyungsoo flushed as Jongin began rubbing circles on his back. “We tried convincing him.”  
  
Jongdae gives a half-hearted shrug, rotating his bar stool. The bartender slides Jongdae his new drink, which he accepts gratefully, instantly raising it to his lips. His attention shifts to Luhan, who is perched sitting on the stool next to him, hands pressed on his thighs. “You really need to a drink.” Jongdae says, bringing the glass in front of Luhan. Luhan rolls his eyes as he leans away. With a quirk of an eyebrow, Jongdae suspiciously asks, “You sure?”  
  
Luhan nods. He really doesn’t have any intention of drinking tonight. The only reason he’s here is due to Jongdae’s persistence.  
  
Jongin tugs at Kyungsoo’s jacket, receiving a wide-eyed stare in response. He proceeds to pull the jacket, dragging the other towards the dancing, disappearing into the swarm of people.  
  
Luhan sighs, turning towards Jongdae, who now is flirting with some guy. Luhan rolls up his sleeves awkwardly, turning his body away from the two. He cranes his head to look for Chanyeol, but he sees no sign of his mop hair. Where the hell did everyone go off too? He flags down the bartender, requesting some water. He’s feeling way too hot.  
  
The next thing he knows, he watches as Jongdae gets up from his stool, grabbing his jacket. Jongdae catches his eye and winks as the person he was flirting with takes him by the hand and escorts him up the stairs.  
  
Luhan scowls. That traitor.  
  
Now he’s abandoned in some odd club with god-awful music and clashing strobe lights.  
  
Fan-fucking-tastic.  
  
Solemnly, he stares into the glass of water placed in front of him, tracing the rim of it with his fingers. Luhan bets he could just go now and prevent a dreadful night. Again he sighs, hoping to see Chanyeol suddenly pop up and ask him if he wants to go home. Although he’s itching to get out of here, Luhan really wishes someone would keep him company.  
  
Another sigh.  
  
He quickly gulps down the remaining water, ready to get up and go when someone suddenly sits next to him. Luhan is greeted with a toothy smile. “Looks like you’re having fun.” The other crosses one of his legs over the other, swiveling the stool so he’s facing Luhan.  
  
Luhan notices that he’s dressed in a similar manner as he is. Tight jeans, leather jacket; he doesn’t have a shimmering top though, instead he opts to wear a normal t-shirt. “Clubs aren’t really my thing,” Luhan says, giving the stranger a small smile.  
  
The other boy laughs, his brown hair bouncing slightly. His grin widens, “I figured that.”  
  
Luhan’s own smile stretches. “Is it that obvious?”  
  
He lets out another small chuckle from behind his cupped fist. “Just a little.” Once the other regains his breath, he extends his hand out. “I’m Baekhyun.”  
  
At first, Luhan hesitates. But Baekhyun honestly seems like a nice guy so he figures, what the heck. “Luhan,” he offers, shaking Baekhyun’s hand. The vibration of the music keeps Luhan on edge, an uncomfortable feeling taking over.  
  
Baekhyun catches on. “I know this is a little strange…” he trails off. Luhan glances up, twiddling with his thumbs. “But, um, do you want to get out of here?” He points with his thumb towards the entrance. Luhan’s eyes widen slightly, coughing suddenly due to shock.  
  
Here is someone he just met, suggesting that they should leave. That could imply so many things, good and bad. For Luhan though, he just wants to leave this sweaty and smelly club so that he doesn’t hesitate to agree. Baekhyun grins, standing up from his stool at the same time as Luhan. When Baekhyun leads him to the door looking like a child, Luhan thinks this could be okay.  
  
This could be more than okay.  
  
  
  
  
To his surprise, Baekhyun brings Luhan to a late-night coffee shop and bakery, hidden away a couple of streets down from the club. It’s scarcely populated, only a few stray college students cramming for tests occupy the store, many of them in lounge clothes, furiously typing away on their laptops. The smell is pleasant as well; fresh ground coffee beans and cherry pastries.  
  
Luhan inhales deeply. This is definitely more than okay.  
  
He opts for the small, cozy sofa nestled in the back corner of the shop. He drums his fingers along the arm of the couch, pushing them into the fabric while he waits for Baekhyun to finish ordering. At that moment he realizes he didn’t even tell Baekhyun what he wants. By the time this thought occurs, Baekhyun is already making his way over, plopping down on the cushion next to him, grin still plastered on his face. His hand is extended out, a cup of iced Americano right in front of his eyes.  
  
Luhan raises a brow. “What if I don’t like Americano?”  
  
Baekhyun rolls his eyes, pushing the cup towards him. “You just look like the type of person that would like an Americano. Now shut up and drink it.” Baekhyun shoves the cup into his hands while sipping on his own. Luhan simply gazes down at the coffee, not uttering a single word. He then stares at Baekhyun before putting his lips around the straw, tentatively swigging on the drink.  
  
A silence fills the air. Luhan doesn’t find it to be awkward, rather a comfortable type of silence. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Baekhyun slipping off his shoes onto the hardwood floor, hoisting his legs up onto the couch. A chuckle escapes his throat when he notices that Baekhyun is wearing blue toe socks.  
  
Baekhyun hears him chuckle, playfully shoving Luhan by the arm. “Don’t make fun of my socks. They give my toes freedom.” He leans back, lifting his feet off the couch, emphasizing his point by wiggling his toes. Luhan swats his feet away with the back of his hand. The other boy huffs in response, firmly digging his heels into the couch once again.  
  
“Can I ask you a question?” Baekhyun prods, tapping his lips with his index finger. Hesitantly, Luhan nods, playing with the straw inserted in his drink. Oddly enough, straws were always something that Luhan had found quite amusing. “How does someone like  _you_ ,” Luhan frowns at his enunciation, “end up at a nightclub?” Luhan snickers as Baekhyun throws in hand gestures as he talks, his arms flailing around in circles. It’s cute, really.  
  
He mentally chastises himself at the thought. “One reason.” Baekhyun raises a brow expectantly, momentarily freezing his movements. “My ass of a best friend, no, scratch that, just an ass,” Baekhyun snickers, “Kim Jongdae.” Luhan grimaces. How could his best friend leave him to fend for himself in a club, when he clearly knows how much he despises the very thought of them? He is going to murder Kim Jongdae.  
  
A knowing look dawns on Baekhyun. “Who doesn’t have a friend like that?” Luhan nods, mumbling a ‘true’. The two laugh together, both soon becoming engaged in a heated conversation about their unique friends. Luhan decides he likes when Baekhyun smiles. When he does, his teeth glow and his eyes crinkle.  
  
They continue to talk and at one point in the midst of their rambling, Baekhyun notices something out of the corner of his eye. “See, my gut was right!” Baekhyun gestures to Luhan’s empty cup cradled in his hands. A look of delight spreads across Baekhyun’s face, like he’s congratulating himself for making the executive decision.  
  
Luhan grins. He doesn’t tell Baekhyun that iced Americano is his favorite type of coffee.  
  
  
  
  
  
On Monday, Luhan ends up partially regretting his decision of going to the nightclub.  
  
Not only did he wake up entirely too late, leading him to frantically pull on some clothes and clean himself, but he also missed out on breakfast.  
  
He now sits in the library, completely drained of energy, eyes fluttering between open and closed, and he has an empty stomach. And it’s only ten o’clock.  
  
Luhan silently praises himself for making a schedule that provides him a two-hour break in-between his classes. He decides, as he adjusts his position, comfortably resting his chin into his palm, now would be a terrific time to take a nap. It’s quiet and he can use this time to catch up on some much needed sleep.  
  
Or so he thought.  
  
Suddenly he hears books thrown down onto the table he currently occupies. Lazily, he squints to see who dares interrupt his precious naptime. He’s greeted by the ever so chipper Chanyeol, whose smile is still as blinding as ever. Sometimes, Luhan thinks, Chanyeol should receive an offer to do a toothpaste ad.  
  
Chanyeol doesn’t say anything. He just keeps smiling brightly at Luhan. The elder tries to muster a glare at Chanyeol but ends up failing because he can’t pretend to be mad at Chanyeol. Because Chanyeol is like a puppy and no one could ever hate a puppy.  
  
“What?” Luhan prods, slipping his arm out from under his chin. He slouches in the chair, closing his eyes but still listening intently to his friend.  
  
The other boy glances around eagerly, looking to see if anyone is eavesdropping on their conversation. Then he hunches over the library table, eyes twinkling mischievously. A trait that Luhan knows he picked up from Jongdae. “So, how was your date with Baekhyun?” His grin stretches as far as possible and he lets out a giggle like a giddy schoolgirl.  
  
Luhan’s eyes open, staring straight at his companion. He sits up a little, arms now crossed over his chest. “How do you know about that?” He never once told Chanyeol, or anyone for that matter, about his “date” (if that was what he was even calling it) with Baekhyun.  
  
Chanyeol’s grin turns into a smirk, matching the look in his eyes. “I saw you walking out with him. But that doesn’t matter. Tell me about your date.” He folds his hands, resting his chin on it and proceeding to bat his eyelashes. Luhan glares. He’s definitely corrupted by Kim Jongdae.  
  
“One: it’s none of your business.” Chanyeol huffs and ends up pouting. “Two: how do you know his name?” It is possible, Luhan thinks, that Chanyeol saw him and Baekhyun walk out of the club together, but there is no way he could have known his name.  
  
“Baekhyun and I were in the same literature class freshman year,” Chanyeol says. Chanyeol’s stomach begins to rumble, causing him to frown down at his stomach and mouth ‘food’. He looks up expectantly at Luhan with his blinding smile. Luhan maintains his glare as he fishes through his backpack, locating a granola bar. He was planning on saving it for later but tosses it to Chanyeol. The latter gasps as he catches it, repeatedly thanking Luhan as he tears the wrapper open. With a mouth full of a granola bar, Chanyeol proceeds, “We’ve actually been quite close friends since then.”  
  
Luhan gawks, “But you’ve never mentioned him.”  
  
Chanyeol directs his line of sight to the ceiling, contemplating deeply. He bites his lip, beginning to slowly nod. “I’m sure I’ve talked about him before.” His nod becomes more affirmative, dropping his head back down. “I’m quite positive actually.” He chomps on the granola bar some more. “We’re not really ‘go out on weekends and have sleepovers’ type of friends, more like ‘hey, cool, we’re in the same class’ type of friends.”  
  
Before Luhan even has the chance to say something, Chanyeol continues, “I can’t believe you didn’t know any of this.” He starts flailing again like he always does. “I feel let down as a friend. It hurts man, it hurts.” Chanyeol clutches at his sweater near his heart region, feigning sadness.  
  
Luhan replies by kicking him in the shin. It doesn’t have much affect on Chanyeol, who just grins in response, finishing off the granola bar in his hand.  
  
Chanyeol leans across the table, hovering close to Luhan like he has a secret. “So, when are you going on your next date?” Luhan flushes as Chanyeol’s mouth hangs open slightly with a distant look in his eyes.  
  
Luhan begins to stutter. “I d-, i-, it wasn’t even a d-date.” He takes a few moments to regain his composure. “Besides I don’t even have his number.” To his humiliation, Chanyeol gasps a little too loudly, drawing extra and unwanted attention from others in the library.  
  
“What?” He shrieks softly due to feeling the glare of one of the librarians on the back of his head. “What kind of date are you? You spent, what, four hours, with the guy, and not just any guy,  _Byun freaking Baekhyun_ , and you don’t even ask for his number? Although I am not interested in Baekhyun sexually or romantically, even I know you have to jump onto that opportunity.” Luhan sinks further into his chair from feeling embarrassed because here he is being lectured to by Chanyeol of all people.  
  
“Wow, just wow. I can’t believe you Luhan.” He scolds, clucking his tongue.  
  
“What?” Luhan bites out the end of the word that unfortunately comes out of his mouth as more of whine. The other nonchalantly shrugs, pretending to suddenly become entertained by his phone. Frowning, Luhan once again musters his best glare, trying (and also failing) to show Chanyeol how much he despises him as a friend right now.  
  
Suddenly, the phone Chanyeol was fiddling around with is held far too close to his face, making Luhan squint unpleasantly. “Write this down.” Chanyeol orders, shaking the phone side to side for emphasis. “This is Baekhyun’s number. And if you don’t write it down, I will find some way to embarrass you everyday until you die.”  
  
Although Luhan wants push Chanyeol’s buttons, he opens one of his notebooks, scribbling down the digits in the margins. While he does enjoy messing around with the younger boy, he  _really_  wants Baekhyun’s number. And he won’t admit it either.  
  
Chanyeol seems satisfied and silently gloats as shoves the phone into one of his pockets. “You’re welcome,” he says, expecting Luhan to thank him. “Since I’m your wingman, you should buy me food.”  
  
Luhan scratches the back of his head, gathers all of his supplies, and places them into his backpack. Noticing this, Chanyeol eagerly snaps his bag shut as well; standing up too quickly and almost tripping over his own feet.  
  
Once Luhan stands, he pushes in his chair and grabs Chanyeol by the forearm, dragging the too-hyper college kid along with him. Chanyeol wiggles Luhan off of him, wrapping the free arm around his shoulders, burying Luhan into his side.  
  
“Let go, you oaf,” Luhan says playfully. He smiles as Chanyeol only squeezes him closer. Despite Chanyeol being a little clumsy and being by far more into skinship than anyone Luhan has ever known, he brings laughter and warmth into Luhan’s life. Luhan is glad Chanyeol intruded into his life because he needs a friend like Chanyeol. He twines his own arm around Chanyeol’s back as they walk out of the library together.  
  
Chanyeol breaks the silence instantly. “Did I mention that Baekhyun was my roommate part of freshman year?”  
  
Luhan ends up choking on air.  
  
  
  
  
It takes Luhan a while to gather up the courage to call Baekhyun. He made some progress initially, adding the number to his contacts list, shocked at the gravity of seeing Baekhyun’s name in his contacts. Every time he would think about dialing the number, Luhan easily chickened out, finding other things to distract him.  
  
Once Luhan sat down with Jongdae and retold the whole occurrence, his friend was determined to set up his next date. Luhan blushed. He wasn’t sure what they did last time was even a date. He  _really_  wasn’t sure if Baekhyun was even interested in guys.  
  
Nevertheless, Luhan eventually ended up talking to Baekhyun, thanks to Jongdae forcibly holding his phone up to his ear. Managing to get through the conversation with only a couple fumbles was a relief to Luhan. The fact that Baekhyun said yes to the date (even though Luhan didn’t use the term ‘date’) made him even more anxious. Jongdae, being the good friend he was occasionally, patted his back in assurance and got him a cup of water to alleviate his nerves.  
  
And that is how he found himself standing outside of Baekhyun’s dorm.  
  
Luhan accidently passed by the dorm once, being so caught up in his thoughts of what could happen that day. He turned back to the correct dorm, walked up the stairs, and confidently pulled open the doors to the building. When he pushed the elevator button he felt okay, some might say, even calm and collected.  
  
When Baekhyun’s door came into view, the nerves worked their way up to Luhan’s stomach.  
  
So now, here he is, standing awkwardly in the hallway outside of Baekhyun’s dorm, still trying to find the courage to knock.  
  
He raises his fist towards the door, almost touching the wood before he backs away again, cursing himself for being such a wimp. Luhan ends up closing his eyes and then he tries again. Surprisingly, he actually does manage to knock, which causes his eyes to fly open and step away from the door. There’s silence before he hears feet shuffling from inside the apartment. The door opens, revealing Baekhyun looking a little out of breath.  
  
He’s grinning again and Luhan can’t help but notice. “Hi,” Baekhyun manages out in between his heavy breathing. “Um, could you wait for a second? I’m almost ready, I swear.” Luhan nods, returning a smile.  
  
Baekhyun looks relieved. “Just give a moment and I’ll be ready.” He pulls the door open wider, letting Luhan have full view of his dorm. “Feel free to come in.” Baekhyun scampers off, disappearing through one of the doorways, leaving Luhan alone in the small, quaint entrance.  
  
The dorm is pretty well kept. A pile of shoes lying by the front door and a couple of books lying on the ground are the only spots marring the otherwise clean room. It’s simple as well, mostly beige and white walls with standard lamps set up in the room. Luhan doesn’t mind though, simple is neat and organized.  
  
A minute later, Baekhyun reappears with his bag and has a little flush on his face due to being out of breath. “Sorry about that,” he says as he struggles to slip on his jacket. “I ended up taking a nap longer than I planned.” His hair makes that evident, some strands sticking out in various directions unlike the night at the club. It makes Luhan bite back a grin because it looks adorable on him.  
  
“Let me put on my shoes,” Baekhyun exclaims as he scurries towards the entrance, plopping down on the wood floor. Luhan shuffles towards Baekhyun who has one of his legs in the air, tugging on one of his sneakers with some difficulty. After putting on the other shoe, Baekhyun stands up looking expectantly at Luhan. “Are you ready?” He’s practically beaming at Luhan as he opens the front door, gesturing for Luhan to go first. He complies, walking out the door with Baekhyun trailing close behind.  
  
Locking the door takes a while for Baekhyun as he fumbles with his keys and Luhan wants to laugh at how focused he looks, tongue slightly sticking out when he shoves the key into the hole, twisting it until it’s locked. After successfully locking the door, Baekhyun grabs a hold of Luhan’s arm. Luhan looks down and see Baekhyun shyly smiling at him. He can’t help but smile back as Baekhyun proceeds to drag him out of the hallway and to the elevator.  
  
  
  
  
“You’re grinning like a idiot,” Jongdae announces as he takes a seat across from Luhan, flicking his forehead with his index finger. The shock of the flick causes Luhan to rub the spot of impact, chucking one of his mechanical pencils at Jongdae. Jongdae snorts as he easily dodges the flying projectile. “Nice aim.”  
  
Frustrated, Luhan roll his eyes and ignores his friend, scanning the notes in front of him once again. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Jongdae focused on him with wide eyes. The look makes Luhan a little uneasy.  
  
“What?” he finally asks, not really positive he wants to know what Jongdae has in mind.  
  
Jongdae stays silent, looking like he is considering whether or not to say what is on his mind. This makes Luhan really uneasy.  
  
Unable to handle the tense atmosphere, Luhan says, “Just ask already.”  
  
Finally, Jongdae mumbles out an incoherent sentence.  
  
Luhan raises a brow, “Can you repeat that?”  
  
“Did you guys fuck?”  
  
His eyes snap open and Luhan, quite embarrassingly, gurgles and blushes different shades of pink. Jongdae cackles at Luhan’s reaction, tears brimming in his eyes.  
  
“I take that as a no.” An evil smirk spreads on Jongdae’s face as he sips from his water bottle.  
  
Luhan glares. “You’re an ass.”  
  
Jongdae looks at him with a face that screams ‘are-you-fucking-kidding-me’. “Did you at least kiss him?” Luhan hesitates for a moment before shaking his head; a blush still apparent on his cheeks.  
  
Jongdae gapes, “Wow, worst date ever.”  
  
“Wow, worst friend ever.”  
  
With his cheeks puffed out and filled with water, Jongdae twists on his water bottle cap, shaking his head at Luhan. He gulps and opens his mouth to say something, but quickly closes it. Jongdae is smiling pleasantly, but not at him.  
  
“Um, Jongdae…?” Luhan asks, very confused as he waves his hand in front of his friend’s face.  
  
Jongdae’s perky smile only brightens when he begins to wave at someone behind him. Luhan turns around to see who it is the instant Jongdae hollers, “Baekhyun! Over here!”  
  
And sure enough, Baekhyun’s right there, in the library, approaching their table. He’s adorned in cute wide framed glasses that Luhan has never seen before with his laptop bag slung over his shoulder. At the mention of his name, Baekhyun looks up dazedly, but smiles when he sees them. It makes Luhan’s heart skip just a little.  
  
Baekhyun shyly saunters over to the table while biting his lower lip. He takes a seat next to Jongdae who was patting the chair next to him enthusiastically.  
  
“What a coincidence,” Jongdae states happily, looking expectantly at Baekhyun. “We were  _just_  talking about you.” Luhan wishes he could elbow Jongdae in the ribs. Or maybe even sell him on the black market.  
  
Baekhyun thinks nothing of it though and blinks innocently. “Really? What about?” He glances at Luhan, staring adorably at him with a little tilt of his head. His glasses slide a bit down his nose and some of his bangs get in his eyes and Luhan doesn’t know if he can take his cuteness.  
  
Luhan coughs into his hand. “Nothing important.” Baekhyun blinks a few times before brushing the matter off.  
  
Jongdae decides to use this opportunity to pack up his things he just set down a few minutes ago. As he stands and meets Luhan’s eyes, Jongdae decides to rile him up a bit, winking at the elder while resting a hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder. With a waggle of his brows that cause his cheekbones to become even more prominent than they already are, he tease, “Have fun.” Then he prances off quickly before Luhan can strangle him.  
  
Once Jongdae is clear out of view, Luhan draws his attention back to Baekhyun who is chuckling quietly. “He seems nice,” Baekhyun says, combing some of his hair out of his eyes with his slim fingers.  
  
Luhan snorts, “Yeah,  _seems_  nice.” He receives a half-smile in return from Baekhyun, who hunches his shoulder, looking like child with his huge glasses and his heavy coat. “So, what brings a music major like you to the library?”  
  
Baekhyun shrugs, “I didn’t want to stay cooped up in my dorm.” A faint flush spreads to cheeks but he scrunches up his face so that it’s not as visible. “Plus, I heard this is usually where you go in-between classes. I was hoping I could catch you.”  
  
He’s quite surprised. Trying not to stutter, Luhan asks, “Oh really?” Eyes crinkling up, Baekhyun nods, unzipping his coat and shrugging it off.  
  
Carefully and neatly, Baekhyun folds the coat over the chair Jongdae had previously occupied. Satisfied with his work, he directs his focus back to his companion. “I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere with me tonight. If you’re not busy or anything.” The last part of the sentence comes out in a flurry of words accompanied by rapid hand movements as his eyes flit everywhere but directly at Luhan.  
  
“I think I am.” The yogurt shop Luhan works at didn’t need him. He wasn’t scheduled to work again until Wednesday. “Where to?”  
  
Baekhyun fidgets in his chair a little, adjusting to find a comfortable position. “Club EXO.”  
  
Oh, Luhan thinks. Before he can even ask why, Baekhyun is already answering the question for him. “I’m going to be performing there tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to come…” He trails off, looking down at his hands as he fiddles with his thumbs. “I’ve never performed at EXO before and I thought, maybe, it would make me more relaxed if someone I kn-“  
  
“Of course I’ll come,” he interrupts. Baekhyun’s head snaps up quickly, mouth partially open. He smiles, making Baekhyun visibly relax and it makes him relax as well.  
  
Baekhyun still can’t help but bite his bottom lip. “Are you sure?” He asks a little bit hesitant. “I know you don’t like clubs.”  
  
“I’m sure I could manage.” Baekhyun says as a genuine smile adorns his face, a smile that has Luhan feeling somewhat light-headed. With one of the largest smiles that Luhan has ever seen, Baekhyun informs him of all the details about his show. Having a hard time understand what Baekhyun is saying, Luhan decides to just nod along and keep smiling. When Baekhyun talks about something he’s passionate or eager about, he rambles on, surprisingly though not fumbling over any of his words. He just speaks at a rate that no one can completely understand the point he is trying to get across.  
  
“So,” Baekhyun pipes up after he finishes his whole intense spiel, “see you there at nine?” He looks at Luhan expectantly with a toothy grin and he finds himself nodding at the younger boy’s words. Baekhyun does this victory dance that Luhan chuckles at it because it’s just so,  _cute_.  
  
Glancing at the clock, Baekhyun eyes widen immensely. “Shit!” He screeches, instantly standing up. He scrambles to gather his items he had set down. “I’m sorry! I didn’t even realize the time and I’m going to be late,” he says as struggles to pull on his coat. As he throws his bag over his shoulder, he smiles at Luhan. “This was nice.” He looks back at the clock, mumbling another curse word. “See you tonight!” he says brightly, pushing the chair in before scampering off in the direction he entered.  
  
Luhan waves shyly at Baekhyun’s retreating figure even though he knows the hurried boy won’t return it. He focuses back on the table, staring blankly at it for a while. Reality begins to set in because  _fuck_ , he’s going to another club tonight.  
  
  
  
  
Luhan made the decision to go the club with Chanyeol since he wouldn’t be seeing Baekhyun until after his performance. Chanyeol was elated to be invited, practically swooning over the possible scenarios that could happen with him and Baekhyun. And Chanyeol, being a shockingly major fanboy, even decided that their couple name would be Baekhan. According to Chanyeol, Baekhan sounded tens times better than Lubaek and a thousand times better than Luhyun.  
  
Although it was quite embarrassing, he found it a smidge amusing as Chanyeol mutters to himself,  _gosh, you are so blessed to have a friend like me. You two wouldn’t even the proper couple name without my assistance._  But due to Chanyeol’s loose lips even that damn Jongdae knew about their “date” tonight.  
  
Luhan loves Jongdae, but boy did he want to ring his neck dry sometimes.  
  
Jongdae, being the even bigger blabbermouth than Chanyeol, pranced around after being informed by all the details Chanyeol gave him. Not only did he announce it so loud everyone within thirty feet of him now knew Luhan was going out tonight, but also decided to invite along Kyungsoo, Jongin, and Junmyeon for moral support.  
  
A little after 8:30 Luhan finds himself perched on a stool in-between Jongdae and Junmyeon. Jongdae, although he says he is there to be his right-hand man, is more interested in finding someone to hook up with for the night. But luckily, Junmyeon is by his side comforting him and rubbing soothing circles on his back.  
  
Despite Junmyeon being a year younger, he insists on giving Luhan advice. “Don’t worry. Just take it nice and slow.” Luhan makes a face but doesn’t say anything. He knows for in fact that he didn’t take it slow when he started dating his boyfriends. “If Baekhyun asks you to have sex, tell him-“  
  
He shuts the latter up by slapping his hand over his mouth. “I don’t think we’re even close to that stage yet.”  
  
Junmyeon looks puzzled but shrugs. He peels his hand away from the other boy’s mouth, wiping it off of his jeans. “Some people are into that.”  
  
_Yeah, you_ , Luhan thinks to himself. Junmyeon ends the conversation in favor of paying attention to Kyungsoo and Jongin sitting beside him, leaving Luhan with basically no useable advice.  
  
Suddenly the lights begin to dim and the sound of people chatting dies down. There are only a few murmurs of people whispering to each other, everyone else is focusing their attention on the stage. Luhan stares anxiously at the stage, examining it over the heads of people in the crowd from the table he and his friends are sitting at. There are only two stools placed in the center of the stage along with one microphone. He feels his heartbeat start to pick up because he and Baekhyun have talked about Baekhyun’s passion and major and he’s asked Baekhyun to sing for him before, but he had always frantically shook his head, saying that he felt awkward singing for only one person. But now, he finally gets to hear him.  
  
Then he sees Baekhyun accompanied by Yixing who is holding an acoustic guitar. He gawks because even Yixing knows Baekhyun. He wonders if he was the last person to know Baekhyun in his circle of friends.  
  
The two of them sit down on the stools and Baekhyun adjusts the mike’s height. He licks his lips, looking out to the crowd of horribly lit, unfamiliar faces. “Hello,” he starts, almost bumping his nose in the microphone. Baekhyun looks over at Yixing who is giving him a half smile and Luhan grins, completely enthralled by him.  
  
“My name is Baekhyun and I’ll be performing tonight.” Using his right hand, he clutches onto the microphone stand, getting into a more stable position. “How’s everyone doing tonight?” There are a few, mixed responses to which Baekhyun nods to. “Well, I guess I’ll just start, if that’s alright with you.”  
  
He’s a bit tense, Luhan sees. Yixing seems to be calming him down a little by mumbling encouraging words to him. With a shake of his head to fix his hair, Baekhyun signals for Yixing to start. Yixing nods and starts strumming the guitar softly, the stray sounds in the crowd now becoming silent. A few measures in, Baekhyun opens his mouth and begins to sing into the microphone.  
  
Luhan feels a subtle flutter in his stomach and all he can think is,  _wow_.  
  
Baekhyun’s voice pleasantly fills up the silence, capturing everyone’s attention, namely Luhan’s. Of course Luhan knew he could sing; he just didn’t expect it to be so powerful and striking.  
  
His friends seem to be enjoying his performance too. He makes eye contact with Chanyeol who has a goofy smile on his face, giving him a thumbs up happily. Luhan smiles back and Chanyeol turns back towards Baekhyun. Junmyeon has Jongin resting his head on his shoulder, gazed fixated on Baekhyun while Kyungsoo, who is nestled next to Jongin, watches Luhan. He also gives Luhan a soft smile, nodding his head subtly and then turning to watch the performance.  
  
He turns his attention back to the stage and sees Baekhyun looking his way. When he catches his eyes, Baekhyun grins, and gives Luhan a wave, one that Luhan happily returns.  
  
It’s worth putting up with this stupid club to see how Baekhyun looks at he sings.  
  
It would be an understatement to say Baekhyun radiates passion. Throughout the entire song, Baekhyun maintains smile, only momentarily losing it to hit the high notes. He sways back and forth in a manner most people would find awkward, but Luhan breaks out into a full-blown grin. To him, almost everyone he does is cute.  
  
He thinks Baekhyun’s lame jokes are adorable. He thinks Baekhyun’s laugh is adorable. He thinks Baekhyun’s smile is adorable.  
  
He thinks Byun Baekhyun is adorable. He likes everything about Byun Baekhyun.  
  
The song finishes; leading to a warm applause and some whooping from his group of friends and Luhan enthusiastically joins in. Absently Baekhyun’s gaze trails towards Luhan and so he and Chanyeol begin to wave frantically at the boy beaming on stage. He honestly doesn’t care about how he appears right now; he just wants Baekhyun to notice him.  
  
When Baekhyun bursts into laughter and smiles widely, Luhan flushes. He’s relieved that it’s still dark and Baekhyun won’t be able to notice the look on his face. But Jongdae is next to him, nudging him with his bony elbow, teasing him with strange catcalls.  
  
As Baekhyun begins his next song, still glowing, Luhan jabs Jongdae in the side. His friend winces painfully as Baekhyun begins to sings again, focusing his gaze mostly on Luhan.  
  
Luhan thinks, as Jongdae still clutches the point of impact, that this is nice.  
  
  
  
  
After the set, Luhan waits with Jongdae for Baekhyun; Junmyeon dragging a sleepy Jongin with him as Kyungsoo trails happily; Chanyeol initially insisted on staying with them too until Jongdae ushered him off, leaving Chanyeol sullen, but eventually, compliant.  
  
Jongdae takes the empty spot on Luhan’s right and elbows him once, this time much more gently. He smiles softly at Luhan, “I’m glad you’re happy.” He sighs, tilting his head up towards the ceiling. “It’s been a while since you’ve liked someone.”  
  
Luhan doesn’t say anything, just listens to him. “Baekhyun will be good for you.” He directs his gaze back at Luhan, grinning, “It’s entertaining to see you get flustered over someone else besides Chanyeol and I.”  
  
Realization dawns upon him. “Maybe, it’s like something where all the people born in 1992 can make Luhan flustered.” Luhan decides to give him a half-hearted punch, drawing a laugh from the latter.  
  
“Now, you’re starting to sound like Chanyeol,” Luhan complains. Jongdae simply smirks and pats him lovingly on the shoulder.  
  
Jongdae slides off the stool, feet thumping on the ground loudly. He keeps his hand rested on Luhan’s shoulder for a moment, before saying, “Good luck.” He takes a second to make a quick bow that has Luhan snorting before motioning towards Luhan’s left. Jongdae winks, smiling again before walking off.  
  
Puzzled, Luhan spins his chair the other way and sees Baekhyun, completely drenched in sweat, making his way towards him. He pants heavily, tugging off his cardigan. Luhan gulps a little, his nerves slowly beginning to scratch the surface some more because Baekhyun has  _glorious_  collarbones and this only overwhelms him more.  
  
“Hi,” Baekhyun says breathily, taking a seat next to Luhan. His hair is now damp, sticking to his forehead and Luhan reaches up to try to fix it. When he touches Baekhyun’s forehead, the other closes his eyes easily, allowing Luhan to mess with his hair. Luhan does his best to straighten out the hair but it’s so damp there’s really no point in even trying, yet, he continues to fix his hair because he enjoys threading his fingers through the strands.  
  
As Luhan retracts his hand, Baekhyun’s eyes flutter open, murmuring a  _thank you_. The elder boy nods, arms now resting tensely on his thighs. Baekhyun smiles and hums while he folds his cardigan on his lap, before turning his full attention to Luhan.  
  
“Thank you for coming,” Baekhyun says earnestly.  
  
Luhan shakes his head. “No, thank you for inviting me. Your voice is amazing.” He sees Baekhyun blush, an indication of his discomfort at receiving compliments. Luhan chooses to be bolder than usual, “You’re amazing,” he adds.  
  
Baekhyun’s face was already quite red due to the lights that were blaring down on him; now, he’s turning red in the face for an entirely different reason. “Me?” He asks, pointing at himself, finger shaking slightly. The confidence he exuded on stage moments ago is disappearing at a rapid rate.  
  
As Baekhyun pants and attempts to cool the heat on his rosy cheeks, Luhan decides, to hell with it all and just go for it.  
  
“I like you.” He asserts, grip tight on his own thighs, his heart pounding much louder than usual.  
  
Baekhyun gazes up at Luhan, blinking a few times. “I like you too.”  
  
“No, I  _like_  you.” Luhan hopes the emphasis will allow Baekhyun to understand what he is trying to convey and apparently, something finally clicks because Baekhyun’s eyes start to widen.  
  
Surprised, Baekhyun stares at the ground. “Oh.”  
  
Luhan cups Baekhyun’s cheek and just  _hopes_  that this will go okay as he tentatively presses his lips against Baekhyun’s.  
  
He doesn’t move his lips, just keeps them pressed together, eyes shut. For a moment he feels like he’s ruined everything. He cracks his eyes open and sees Baekhyun nearly frozen, eyes shut tight as his face scrunches up. He nearly pulls away but then Baekhyun brings his hands up to clutch his biceps, using the grip on his jacket to press them closer together. And then he slowly starts to move their lips together and Luhan’s heart explodes.  
  
They kiss firmly, pulling away slightly only to gasp for air before leaning back in. Much to his surprise, Baekhyun lets out a quiet whine, attempting to close the gap between them as much as possible. Even though this is like floating in the clouds for Luhan, he draws back, observing Baekhyun with his lips parted and eyes still closed.  
  
Then, Baekhyun opens his eyes, staring at Luhan. He leans in slowly, placing another soft peck on his lips before backing away, biting his lip and smiling shyly. Luhan reciprocates the smile as he occupies himself by drumming his fingers on his thighs.  
  
With a pout, Baekhyun gently punches Luhan in the arm. He rubs delicately at the spot, mimicking Baekhyun’s pout making him playfully glare at Luhan. “It took you long enough.”  
  
Luhan gapes at him. “How am I at fault?”  
  
Baekhyun chuckles. He kisses him again. “I like you too,” he says as he nuzzles his nose in the crook of Luhan’s neck. A sigh escapes from Baekhyun and Luhan relaxes, wrapping his arms around the younger boy. They are probably one of the last ones in the club but it doesn’t matter to Luhan as he focuses on the boy sitting next to him, mumbling things like  _I love you_  into his skin.  
  
Now that he knows what this feels like, having Baekhyun leaning on him and staring up at him lovingly, Luhan never wants to lose this feeling.  
  
  
  
  
Luhan types rapidly on his keyboard, trying to complete his paper that is due tomorrow. He reaches over to grab his bottled water, twisting the cap and gulping it down before returning to his furious typing. He’s at the library again, in his usual table with Chanyeol and Jongdae sitting directly across from, bickering about something that has little or no relevance to Luhan.  
  
“So, why exactly are potholes round?” Chanyeol asks with his eyes nearly bulging out as Jongdae just shakes his head, waving off the other. “I’m serious!” Chanyeol nearly screeches, gaining a look of warning from the librarian’s assistant. “This is a legitimate question!”  
  
Jongdae rolls his eyes, “Then google it, because I for sure have no idea why the  _fuck_  potholes are round. When the hell are you going to need to know why potholes are round?” But the other boy ignores him, and slides his phone out of his back pocket to search the Internet.  
  
While Luhan is intent on keeping his mind focused on his paper, he sees out of the corner of his eye Baekhyun coming towards them. As soon as he’s at the table, he occupies the seat directly next to Luhan, tossing his bag on the tabletop and setting his coffee down gently (because Luhan learned that Baekhyun’s coffee is precious) before laying his arms down and groaning as he rests his head down on top of his arms. Luhan uses one hand to smooth down Baekhyun’s hair, eliciting a peaceful sigh from his boyfriend.  
  
Chanyeol lets out a wrenching sound that Luhan just ignores before continuing his debate with Jongdae. Baekhyun cracks his eyes open before sitting up to rest his head on Luhan’s shoulder rather than on his arms. When he snuggles a little closer into Luhan’s shoulder, Jongdae also groans as his face twists into disgust.  
  
An hour later, Luhan has cranked out most of his paper, rewarding himself with a well-earned break. Jongdae and Chanyeol left ages ago after becoming too bored and went off to go bother Yixing at the frozen yogurt shop. Poor Yixing. He looks down at Baekhyun who is asleep on his shoulder, smiling at how his boyfriend’s mouth hangs slightly open, making quiet noises in his sleep. At first, the sounds terrified Luhan because he thought Baekhyun was choking in his sleep but after he found out it is just Baekhyun’s odd sleeping habit, he finds the noise quite adorable, just like everything else Baekhyun does.  
  
He shakes his boyfriend’s shoulder softly and tugs on Baekhyun’s jacket, hoping to wake gently. Baekhyun shifts, slowly waking up from his nap, picking his head up and rubbing at his eyes. The first thing he does is reach for his coffee, bringing it to his lips. As he takes a swig, he makes a face at the cup, mumbling sadly, “It’s cold.”  
  
He looks at Luhan with half-lidded eyes, still too tired to be considered fully awake. “Let’s go get more coffee.”  
  
Luhan doesn’t respond, and instead begins packing up his own items. Baekhyun beams despite his groggily state because he knows that they will be going to fetch coffee. He stands up and stretches, a loud yawn escaping his mouth in the process. Luhan stands as well, throwing on his jacket and zipping it up. After successfully slinging on his bag, Baekhyun wraps an arm around Luhan’s waist, rests a chin on his shoulder and looks up at the elder boy. Snuggling into Luhan’s jacket, Baekhyun murmurs, “I love you.”  
  
A smile breaks out on his face and Luhan leans down slightly to say, “I love you too.” He walks out of the library with Baekhyun’s arm still wrapped around him.  
  
Now, he’s off the get coffee for his coffee-loving boyfriend. Like caffeine, Luhan can’t get enough of his boyfriend and all of his antics.  
  
  
  
  
The next week, Jongdae complains wholeheartedly to the usual group at the frozen yogurt shop. He had an impromptu to give in his speech class and he unfortunately drew the topic,  _why are potholes round_.  
  
“I told you it’s valuable knowledge.” Chanyeol cackles, intending never to let Jongdae live this down.  
  
“Kim Jongdae, you should never doubt  _the_  Park Chanyeol.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> comments are much appreciated!


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